but we don't leave nato because it's in our national interest to stay and benefit from its collective defense guarantee. we have more power and influence, whether in the meeting sanctions against iran or syria, or promoting democracy in burma, if we can act togeth together. if we leave the eu, we cannot of course leave europe. they will remain for many years our biggest market, and forever our geographical neighborhood. we are tied by a complex web of legal -- a complex web of legal commitments. hundreds of thousands of british people now take for granted the right to work, live or retire in any other eu country. even if we pulled out completely, decisions made in the eu would continue to have a profound effect on our country. but we would have lost all our remaining vetoes and our voice in those decisions. we would need to weigh up very carefully the consequences of no longer being inside the eu and its single market, as a full member. continued access to the single market is vital as i said, absolutely vital for british people and for british jobs. since 2004 britain has been the de